Tipping in the USA always and everywhere: Americans believe that the situation has gone too far

The size of tips in the US (20-30%) often surprises immigrants. It seems that now that even machines and self-service cash registers have started asking for rewards, the Americans themselves have become fed up with the situation. Recent Poll showed that three-quarters (76,1%) of consumers believe that the tipping culture in the United States has gone too far, while half (51%) of service workers would prefer to receive an average salary and not charge for service.

Company CouponBirds surveyed 1199 Americans of all ages to find out how, why and where they tip. To balance opinions, the company conducted a separate survey on the topic of tips among 628 service industry workers.

Key results

Three in four (76,1%) Americans believe tipping culture in the United States has gone too far. A year ago this figure was 66%.

Most Americans tip not because they want to reward a service, but to avoid embarrassment (65,6%) or conflict (63,1%). 59,6% of respondents said that waiters reacted aggressively to “low tips” or refusal to leave something as a tip.

47,3% of respondents encountered requests for tips from self-service systems.

39,7% of Americans said they have been asked to tip in advance to receive better service.

20% encountered a situation where tips were mandatory.

A majority of Americans (84,1%) believe that the minimum wage for service workers in the United States should be increased.

On the subject: The courier refused to deliver the order to a customer who offered little tip.

Housekeeping staff agree: More than half (51%) would prefer to be paid $25 an hour without tips. Now their wages are lower because the emphasis is on tips. According to the survey, 38,5% of service workers in the United States are paid between $7,25 and $10 per hour excluding tips, and only one in three (32%) are paid more than $10 per hour. 19,5% work under this system: if a person receives at least $5,12 in tips per hour, then the minimum wage he can qualify for is only $2,13 per hour.

Friendship, love and... tips

Social pressure greatly influences whether we tip or not. More than half (56,2%) of respondents admitted that they feel the need to tip the waiter when they dine with friends, and 71,9% believe that they should tip the waiter on a date. Moreover, 22,7% of respondents tip the waiter more on dates than when visiting a restaurant with friends, for work, or alone.

As it turns out, many people judge their date on a date by the tip they leave. 24,9% admitted that they would form a bad opinion of their date if they did not tip even if the service was good; 20,8% of respondents find it awkward if their partner leaves a small tip; 17,4% only judge their dating partner if they don't tip at all. Only 21,3% of respondents said that tipping on a date does not affect their opinion of their partner.